SPRINGFIELD, N.J. (AP) -- The five times Tiger Woods came close to missing the cut in a major championship. He has made 36 consecutive cuts in the majors to start his professional career.
2005 PGA Championship
Woods shot 5-over 75 at Baltusrol and was tied for 113th, his worst position ever in a major. With three straight bogeys early in his second round, he was three shots over the cut line with eight holes left. He birdied three of the next five holes, but when he tried to reach the 650-yard 17th in two, his ball caromed against the lip of a bunker and he made bogey. He hit a perfect tee shot on the par-5 18th and hit 7-iron to 18 feet for a two-putt birdie for 69 to make the cut on the number at 4-over 144.
2004 PGA Championship
Woods opened with a 75, leaving him in 104th place out of 155 players at Whistling Straits. He birdied the first two holes to get on the projected cut line of 1 over par, but then hit his tee shot into the water on the par-5 fifth and had to scramble for bogey, made another bogey at the sixth and was two shots over the cut line with six holes to play. He birdied the 13th and 16th, then holed a 25-footer on the 17th to make the cut by two shots. Woods shot 69-75 on the weekend and tied for 24th, six shots behind.
2003 Masters
Woods was on the cut line at 5 over par when he birdied his 16th hole, No. 7, and appeared to be safe when he stood over a 25-foot birdie chance on the next hole. Instead, he three-putted for bogey, then hit his drive behind a pine tree. He hit a waist-high shot out of the trees and into the bunker, blasted out to 3 feet and powered the putt into the right side for par. He finished at 5-over and made the cut on the number. He shot 66-75 on the weekend and tied for 15th, nine shots back.
2001 PGA Championship
Woods was two below the projected cut with four holes to play at Atlanta Athletic Club. He holed a 40-foot birdie putt from off the 15th green, then a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 16. He wound up making the cut by one shot. Woods shot 69-70 on the weekend and tied for 29th, 14 shots behind David Toms.
2001 U.S. Open
Woods opened with a 74 and at one point was 11 shots behind Retief Goosen. The U.S. Open cut is top 60 and everyone within 10 shots of the lead. He shot 71 in the second round at Southern Hills, eight shots out of the lead, then closed with a pair of 69s to tie for 12th, seven out of the lead.
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. (AFP) -- A day-long drama over whether or not Tiger Woods could make the cut at the PGA Championship ended in spectacular fashion Friday with a last-hole birdie sending the superstar into the weekend.
The Masters and British Open champion risked missing the cut to attempt a birdie-eagle finish on Baltusrol Golf Club's only par-5 holes, taking a bogey at the gargantuan 650-yard 17th before a do-or-dye tap-in birdie at the 18th.
"I was just trying to get back into the tournament," Woods said. "If I would have birdied 17 like I was supposed to and maybe eagled 18, I would have been 1-over which would have been great."
Instead, Woods fired a 1-under 69 to stand on 4-over 144 after 36 holes at the year's final major tournament, making the cut on the number to retain his streak of never missing a major cut as a professional.
"I got through somehow," Woods said. "I just grinded it out all day."
Woods stood 12 strokes behind leader Phil Mickelson, knowing his dream of an 11th career major crown and third major title of the year is unrealistic.
"I've got to play two great rounds," Woods said. "The way Phil is playing, it's going to be hard for anyone to catch up. Maybe I can get under par for the tournament tomorrow and have a great round on Sunday."
World No. 1 Woods, helped by a long fairway roll and strong tailwind, blasted an epic 296-yard 3-wood second shot at the mammoth 17th, landing left of the green in rough by inches and bouncing into the far edge of a bunker.
So much for the question of whether anyone could get that far in two shots. Woods wasn't even trying his hardest when he conquered the "Beast of Baltusrol."
"It wasn't a big 3-wood. That's the thing," Woods said. "It was blowing downwind off the left a little bit. It was just a smooth 3-wood. It wasn't a big ripper. It wasn't a big one. I just had to make sure I got it up in the air. Any kind of bullet, obviously I can't carry the front with a low ball."
Woods pitched into the rough and popped a fourth shot past the hole, leaving himself a testy 10-footer for par. The putt broke left at the last moment and lipped out of the cup, bringing a bogey that left Woods beyond the cut line.
"I had a perfect drive, then hit a wonderful 3-wood up in the air," Woods said. "A shot like that where it kicks up against the face, I couldn't do anything. Hit a decent pitch and a wonderful putt. Just didn't go in."
Woods reached the 18th needing a birdie to advance. He found the fairway and the back of the green, curled a 15-foot eagle putt just short and dropped in a birdie to join 78 others in round three at the $6.5 million event.
"Now you have to hit two good golf shots and I did," Woods said. "That's what I'm really proud of."
Woods, 29, had not missed a cut since the 1997 Canadian Open until May at the Byron Nelson. He last failed to play the weekend at a major as a 20-year-old amateur at the 1996 Masters.
Woods opened with a 75, his worst over-par first round in a major and worst 18 holes since a last-round 76 at the 2004 U.S. Open.
The sun rose at the 7,392-yard layout with Woods eight strokes behind six co-leaders, but by the time Woods teed off he was 13 strokes behind Mickelson. He enters Saturday 12 strokes back.
"If Phil goes ahead and shoots two good rounds on the weekend in the mid-60s he will probably win it," Woods said. "Hopefully under easier, softer conditions I can post a low one and at least get myself some type of hope."
Woods looked like he might go low early on Friday with an opening birdie, but he three-putted from eight feet for bogey at the 2nd and bogeyed the next two holes as well. A birdie at the 6th and bogey at the 8th left him three shy of the cut at the turn.
But Woods responded to the pressure in trademark form with birdies at 11 and 12, a clutch 10-foot par putt at the 14th and a birdie at the 15th to put himself on the cut line.
An odd day for Woods included being halted for several minutes at the fourth green after a large limb broke loose from an oak tee and injured two freelance television production employees and a 60-year-old spectator.
Woods arrived to the course amid accusations that his caddie, Steve Williams, had stepped upon his ball at the 18th hole during the first round in an incident where Woods asked for and was denied imbedded ball relief.
"He walks three steps closer to actually point out the golf ball so he wasn't even near it," Woods said.
Kerry Haigh, PGA of America managing director of tournaments, supported the decision made at the time that the ball had not been stepped upon by anyone, having apparently deflected off a tree limb and sunk into wet earth near water.
"We reviewed videotape and determined there was no evidence of any person stepping on the ball," Haigh said.
